Archive of Our Own

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Vampires are vile, depraved, blood-thirsty monsters, luring you in with their ethereal beauty before they sink their fangs into your throat and rip you apart, draining your blood to keep their own dead heart alive. It’s unnegotiable that if you see one, kill it on sight lest it see you first.

This was the mantra taught to all monster slayers of the cloth. It’s been proven true time and time again. It’s something Olruggio once believed with his whole heart, until fate would have him plunged into the most unusual circumstance.

A raven-haired priest rummages through his pack, going through a mental checklist of his tools. The carriage he rides in jostles on the rugged road beneath in its haste. It’s late when he gets the call, a vampire attack is underway in a small impoverished town nearby. He was the only close and able body hunter available, thus he made haste to the destination.

When he arrives, people are screaming and fleeing in a panic. Olruggio reaches for the closest civilian he can find.

“I’m from The Order, where’s the vampire?” he urgently asks the man whose arm he grabbed.

The man points with a violently trembling hand, “I-In that rundown church! It–It stole a man’s child and he ran after it!”

Olruggio nods and releases the man, letting him run to safety. He sprints down the mud trodden road and lands his back against the face of the ramshackle building. Signs of struggle were evident from freshly strewn debris and dust. He kneels down to dig through his back and procures his gun. Hastily, he loads it with silver-coated bullets, which were blessed in holy water. Initially, he treads carefully, but when the scream of a young girl pierces his ears and sends a cold shock through his veins, he forgoes all caution. Instead, he aggressively pushes through the debris blocking his path.

Bursting into what would have been the main nave of the church, he moves on instinct. For within that moment, he processed not one, but two vampires, illuminated in the pale moonlight from the broken windows. Caught in a struggle with one another, too preoccupied to notice him enter. He cocks his weapon immediately and takes aim. Letting loose a barrage of bullets in one shot.

The paler of the two had noticed at the last minute. Olruggio swears he heard them call out, before seemingly trying to duck for something. However, they weren’t quick enough as the bullets struck into their right arm, side, and shoulder; the same went for the other vampire but on their left. Both monsters cry out in pain.

Olruggio makes his move as he surges forward, already loading for another shot. He goes for the other vampire first, since it so generously volunteered. It hisses aggressively and attempts to fight, despite the holes sizzling in its arm from the bullets.

It’s quick, it knocks the gun from Olruggio’s hand. It falls unceremoniously into a pile of what were once pews. The two tumble to the floor as the beast attempts to bite and swipe at the hunter’s face. Olruggio snarls and curses under his breath as he attempts to reach for anything he can to knock the monster away. He manages to grab a large scrap of wood and shoves it into the vampire’s mouth, causing it to gag.

“Chew on this for me.” he remarks and rolls to his feet with a grunt.

In the darkness, he can’t spot his gun at a quick glance. Instead, he slings his bag off and reaches into a side pocket, withdrawing a stake. He keeps it pressed to his arm so the vampire can’t see as the creature leaps over pews to get to Olruggio. In one swift, practiced motion, he drives the stake directly into the vampire’s chest, piercing their heart. They instantly crumple against him with eyes wide in shock before they disintegrate to dust.

“That’s one.” he says darkly.

He flicks the stake to remove any ashen remains stuck to it before clambering over the rubble to the other vampire, who thankfully hadn’t joined in the fray. Olruggio’s breath catches at the sight before him. A young girl, presumably the one who had been kidnapped, sits on the floor cradling the vampire’s head. She looks dreadfully concerned as the monster twitches and whimpers in agony.

“Girl,” he starts as he reaches a hand out to her to beckon her to him, “I’m gonna need ya to get away from that monster.”

She gives him a wounded expression but makes no effort to move. Perhaps she’s been compelled? He takes a heavy step forward, which causes her to flinch.

“D-Don’t…” a strained voice cuts between them.

Painfully, the paler vampire tries to sit up, their breathing uneven as they try to fight the pain. Their right arm lays limply in their lap, twitching occasionally as waves of pain pulse through it. An icy slitted eye pitifully glares up at him.

“Please, do not…harm her.” they hiss.

Olruggio scoffs, “That’s rich comin’ from you. What, you tryin’ to save ‘er for later? Compelled ‘er did ya, to look more pathetic? It won’t work on me.” he scowls.

“I-I have done no such thing–” the other vampire’s breath catches. “She’s–” they wince, “She’s my daughter.”

“Likely story.” Olruggio says coldly.

The stake spins in his hand before he raises his arm in preparation. A click and glint of silver makes Olruggio stop dead. The young girl stands behind the vampire holding none other than Olruggio’s own gun. Though her grip shakes violently, she glares at Olruggio with a protective determination.

“D-Don’t you dare.” she stutters.

The vampire looks up in shock, “Coco, no!”

They try to reach for her arm to make her lower the weapon but yelps in pain as the motion jostles their injuries. Coco, as Olruggio now knows her, scrunches her face in concern but isn’t willing to take her eyes off the hunter before her. She steps in front of the vampire. Olruggio drops the stake slowly and raises his hands; she follows the motion with her eyes.

Olruggio sets her with a hard stare of his own, “Care to tell me why you’re protecin’ a vampire? They’re killers y’know? Won’t ‘estitate to rip ya to pieces.”

The statement seems to make Coco angry. “My Papa would never hurt anyone. He never has; he saved me.”

Olruggio quirks his brow, “Saved you? Surely not. Vampires only serve themselves. The only reason ‘e’d save you is to eat you later.”

“You’re wrong!” she yells, holding the gun up with more vigor. “He saved me when I was just a babe! He’s raised me, cared for me, and protects me! He’s as real a Papa as any!”

Saved her as a babe? Olruggio’s eyes drift to the vampire. Despite likely being in total agony, they’re staying conscious and watching from behind Coco. They’re sweating at the effort, but there’s a glint in their eye that Olruggio has seen many times. A look so paternal it makes his mind cease to function momentarily. A vampire that supposedly hasn’t killed anyone, and raised a mortal child? This is unheard of; no it simply can’t be true. This goes against everything Olruggio’s ever been taught or read. He takes another step back to not only ease the tension of the child, but to also test the vampire. If he creates distance, maybe they’ll show their true colors and go for the girl. Loathe as he is to use her as bait right now, he simply cannot believe something so farfetched.

Coco lowers the weapon slightly and takes half a step back herself back towards her “father”. The vampire makes no move towards the girl; if anything, the distance being created had them easing their shoulders slightly. It makes Olruggio’s brows frow in confusion at the whole situation.

“Coco, my dear..” a pain stricken whisper breaks the silence, “please lower the weapon. We do not harm others. He’s–He’s only doing what he must.”

Coco breaks eye contact and looks at the vampire with concern, before she relents and lowers the gun. Olruggio watches in shock, fully anticipating the vampire to pounce now that the weapon is no longer raised. They do not. Despite bleeding profusely from bullet wounds, the vampire remains seated. Suddenly, they lurch forward in a hiss of pain, no longer able to fight the agony as they list sideways and lose consciousness.

“Papa!” Coco calls out as she drops the gun to place her hands on the vampire’s uninjured shoulder.

The vampire has become impossibly more ashen. His expression, even in unconsciousness, is one of discomfort and pain. Olruggio takes this opportunity to gather his things: his bag, his stake, and most importantly his gun. He opens the chamber and Coco throws herself over top of the suffering vampire.

“Please!” she begs as Olruggio looks down at her. “Please don’t hurt him anymore!”

His deep sapphire eyes stare into glistening apple green as the girl sheds tears. No matter what way Olruggio looked at it, his heart betrayed him. Before him wasn’t some girl who had been tricked by a vampire. No, this was a family: a girl and her father. Guilt starts to ebb its way into his heart as he runs a hand along the back of his neck and sighs. Grumbling to himself, he slips his bag off again and starts riffling through it. Coco watches him warily as she remains on top of the vampire.

He finds what he’s looking for and approaches the two. Coco lets out a scared whimper as she goes to throw more of herself over her ailing parent.

“Easy…” he sighs and kneels on the vampire’s injured side.

The damage is as brutal as it should be: deep holes where the bullets buried into the vampire’s skin. They seep blood steadily; the mangled arm still twitches with every shaking breath the unconscious vampire takes. Coco watches as the hunter sets down rolls of gauze. She shifts to lay her father’s head in her lap. She keeps her hands on his chest and pats his hair at every wince as the raven-haired man begins wrapping the wounds.

“The bullets are still lodged in the wounds, they’ll ‘ave to be removed.” he says with a slight tone of reluctance

The vampire hisses as Olruggio moves his arm to tie it into a makeshift sling.

“Can you help him?” Coco asks.

Olruggio flicks his eyes to her then back to what he was doing. He shifts on his knees to slide an arm behind the vampire’s shoulders. Coco lets him and assists in helping the vampire sit up in order for Olruggio to tie the sling. While in this position, he works on tending to the bullet wounds in their shoulder and hip.

“Aye…” he sighs, “‘Suppose I am the cause of all this…”

“Yes, you are.” Coco sasses, which makes Olruggio grumble.

“Right, up we go then. Let’s get ‘im on his feet. I’ve got a carriage we can use.”

With teamwork, they manage to get the vampire on his feet. Olruggio slings an arm over his shoulder and carefully sets a hand on the man’s side between wounds. Despite being a full grown man, the vampire is surprisingly light. He slumps forward in Olurggio’s hold. Together, they slowly manage their way back to Olruggio’s carriage. Coco helps him settle the vampire inside with no small amount of effort. By the time they’re done he’s out of breath, but the vampire is settled against the side in the seat.

Olruggio takes the coachman’s seat and watches as a head of green clambers up.

“Oi, shouldn’t you be in the back?” he questions.

“You don’t know where we live.” She states simply.

He blanks at that, before he clears his throat, “R-Right…Well, which way then?”

She takes a precautionary look to gain her bearings before she points in a direction. Olruggio stirs the horses into motion as they trod through the muddy street. Village folk peek out from their doors and windows, some in the streets having watched the trio come out of the dilapidated building. Some faces were fearful, others were concerned as they witnessed the injured man be loaded into the carriage. Soon, they left the town behind. Coco periodically peered through the window behind them to check that her vampiric parent hadn’t stirred or shifted. Both Olruggio and Coco remained silent, aside from one giving directions or the other asking for them.

The night grows very late nearly into early morning by the time the carriage approaches a humble little cottage. Olruggio’s shocked at how quaint it appears from the outside. As gently as he can, he pulls the carriage to a stop by the front. Coco is the first to hop down, rather carelessly Olruggio noticed, as she rushed to check on her parental figure. Olruggio hops down from the opposite side and opens the carriage door from the other side and hops in. Thankfully, the vampire had hardly shifted during the journey, only slightly slumped further down.

As they remove the injured vampire from the carriage, Coco runs to open the front door. Inside the abode is quite homely, so much so it feels almost warm. It’s clear someone has been living there for a long time with all the furnishings and home necessities scattered methodically about. Coco directs Olruggio to a room just off the living space; it’s dark and windowless, typical of a vampire. However, unlike typical vampires, there’s no heavy scent of blood or the stench of death. Quite the contrary, it smelt rather clean, like meadows in spring and ink.

A choked gasp at his side makes him return his attention to reality. Olruggio hauls the injured man to the bed and helps lay him down as gingerly as possible. Coco works on lighting as many candles and lanterns as she can then stands by the bed waiting to be told what to do; she fiddles with her clothes nervously.

“I’m gonna need some warm water and clean cloths.” Olruggio starts.

Coco nods and quickly runs off while Olruggio sets his bag against the bed. He pulls the chair from the nearby desk and begins pulling out what he needs. Bless the magics of The Order that his bag can fit just about anything without becoming overly cumbersome. Coco’s quick little footsteps come racing back to the bedroom. She places a stack of towels on the end of the bed before leaving again. Olruggio takes a towel and spreads it along the side of the bed. He methodically places all the tools he’s going to need in order to extract the bullets and patch up the holes: scalpels, tweezers, tongs, thread and needle, and scissors. By the time he’s done, Coco has come back lugging a pail of steaming water to which Olruggio has her set on the floor by his leg.

“You’re not gonna want to stay in ‘ere, lass. This isn’t somethin’ a child should ‘ave to watch someone suffer through.” He says sympathetically.

Coco looks from the vampire to the man sitting by the bedside with clear concern.

“‘T’s alright…you don’t gotta worry about me, I promise. I’ll fix ‘im up for ya.” he tries to reassure her.

Reluctantly, she gives him a small nod before she leaves, closing the door behind her. Olruggio sighs deeply, running a calloused hand through his black hair.

“What ‘ave I gotten meself into…” he says to himself.

He looks to the man in bed. In this lighting, the warm glow of the lights gives him a more human-like complexion. Were it not for the long fangs that were visible from his partly open mouth, Olruggio would almost be fooled. He sets to work, removing what he had done earlier, then completely removes the man’s shirt. Conflicting feelings stir in his gut as he works; the man before him truly is gorgeous. His features are only accentuated by the vampire curse. Without it, he would still be someone Olruggio would find attractive. He can feel his cheeks heating up with a blush and mentally scolds himself. Removing his alb, he rolls up the white sleeves of his undershirt. He sighs as his eyes become focused and he gets to work. Unfortunately for the vampire, they could only drink blood, so anything to ease the pain wouldn’t be possible. It was going to be a long night.

In the livingroom, Coco sits huddled on the sofa. Her small hands were cupped over her ears as she heard the screams of agony from the bedroom next door. Her hands tighten around her head at every scream and she tucks her head into her knees. Empathetic tears formed in her eyes as she fought the urge to burst into the room and beg the hunter to stop. Nothing hurt her more than seeing her beloved father in pain; he already despises who he is, why must he suffer more?

“Papa…” she quietly sobs into her knees.

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Dawn had risen; its soft yellow rays shine through the small cottage windows. Coco wakes to the sound of heavy footsteps coming from her father’s room. She sits up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as a very exhausted looking hunter emerges. Even in her drowsy state, she doesn’t miss the deep red stains all over the man’s white shirt. She shifts uncomfortably as the man hasn’t seemed to notice her.

Olruggio hears the rustling now of her shifting on the sofa. The girl's eyes are filled with devastating concern. He rubs the back of his neck averting his eyes. He’s sure he looks like he’s in a right state.

“‘E’s made it through the worst of it.” he says solemnly.

Coco doesn’t respond so he takes a seat in one of the chairs in the living space. He lets out a long exhausted sigh as he rests his dirtied hands on his knees. Stars only knows whose blood is on his hands right now. He faintly hears Coco get up from the couch and disappear for a time. His mind seems to zone out in the time that she’s gone, so much so that he’s startled when a steaming cup appears in his vision. When he looks up, Coco is staring at him holding her own cup in her other hand.

He takes it graciously, “Thank ye.”

For a moment, he’s surprised to see it’s an ordinary cup of tea. He’s been in the presence of a vampire for the past half a day that he forgot Coco isn’t one of them. The first sip sends a pleasant warmth down his throat; once it hits his stomach it seems to spread throughout his tired limbs.

He unknowingly lets out a satisfied hum, “This is good.” he smiles into the cup.

“Papa taught me to make it.” Coco says quietly as she looks into her own cup.

Olruggio stops mid-sip. “You said ‘e saved you when you were a babe. Tell me, why would a babe need to be saved?”

Coco lowers her cup to her lap, “I don’t know all the details, but Papa said my home village was attacked by vampires…because of my mom and I.”

“Is yer mom still…?” he trails off, but Coco’s eyes remain on her cup as she shakes her head.

“She died that night. Papa said that she begged him to protect me; he’s not sure if she knew what he was or not. He was just there that day shopping for fabric in my mom’s shop.”

Olruggio scoffs and mumbles into his drink, “Of course he was.”

The remark earns him a sharp glare from Coco, “Papa didn’t do anything! He took me in and he’s never once harmed me or drank from me! He hates hurting people!” her eyes grow impossibly sad, “He hates what he is so much…Yet despite that, he still raised me. It’s my fault he got hurt.”

“‘Nd how is it your fault? Yer only a child.” he asks simply.

“Because–” she looks hesitant to say, “Because my blood is special to vampires…at least that’s what Papa says.”

Olruggio’s eyes slowly widened. Coco was one of those. People with special blood that enhances a vampire, should they drink from them. It makes a vampire’s strength double if they fully drain that person. Part of Olruggio was suspicious. Of course a vampire would keep someone as precious as Coco close. Raising her up like livestock to be drained when she was old enough. However, that must be tortuous for a vampire to resist. If that man had saved Coco as a babe, then it’s been years. The girl has to be at least eleven years old now. Even when the vampire was severely injured, he didn’t show any indication of wanting to feed off Coco. Olruggio rests his chin in his hand in deep thought. This vampire was truly an anomaly.

“What ‘appened whenever you’ve been injured? Surely you’ve ‘ad some scrapes?” he asks.

Coco shrugs, “Papa treats them like any other person would.”

He tilts his head, baffled. Is this even possible? Never in history or any scriptures had there ever been a vampire who could resist someone with special blood.

“You say ‘e doesn’t like hurtin’ people, yeah? Then what does ‘e do to feed?” 

“Animals.” Coco says simply. “He hates it but he says it’s necessary. He would rather hurt an animal over a person, plus Papa’s a great chef! He always uses parts to feed me yummy meals!”

Olruggio almost spits his drink out as he chokes, “”e cooks?!”

Coco nods with pride as she starts rambling off different recipes she’s gotten to try.

Olruggio’s at a loss for words; never had he imagined a vampire to take up culinary hobbies. This was far beyond normal. What is he to do about this situation? Does he report them to The Order? Does he handle them himself? No, that would be pointless with all the effort he just spent saving a vampire.

“Mister Hunter?” a young voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

“Ah–” he clears his throat, “Nothin’. You can call me Olruggio by the way, no need for formalities.”

Coco hums, “Mister Olruggio.” she nods.

Olruggio huffs amused.

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The next couple days pass by in a blur: Coco shows Olruggio around the quaint cottage, he tends to his carriage horses, he talks to Coco more, and he monitors the bedridden vampire. Unfortunately, his wounds weren’t healing like typical vampires. Generally they regenerate quickly, sometimes instantaneously depending on the strength of the vampire. Without blood, Olruggio’s not sure this vampire will heal at all.

His thoughts must have been too loud because that evening, when Olruggio is redressing their wounds, Coco enters with a cup in hand. From years of training he can smell that putrid smell anywhere: blood. Once again, his thoughts must have been written all over his face, because Coco answers him before he can ask.

“It’s animal blood, so don’t worry. Papa keeps a stash in the cellar.” she eyes him.

He visibly relaxes but then looks at her puzzled, “You went down to a cellar?”

“Yeees?” She tilts her head.

“Aren’t kids supposed to be afraid to go into them or somethin’?” he jests.

Coco simply shrugs and approaches the bed as she looks at her father figure. The vampire is still as can be; the only indication he was even “alive” was because of his pained expression. She pets his hair with one hand. Olruggio has to tear his eyes away, lest his guilt get worse. Over the past days, Coco had told him all kinds of stories about her time growing up under the vampire’s care. It only made him question things more and more.

“Do you think he can drink?” Coco asks.

“Aye, I think we can manage. Just take it slow.” He answers, slipping an arm behind the vampire’s shoulders to lift him slightly.

Tentatively, Coco brings the cup to his lips and tilts it. They both watch as dark red liquid passes those parted lips. To encourage the vampire to swallow, Olruggio rubs his throat gently. Ever so slowly, they manage to coax him to swallow, though the vampire groans. Once again, the duo work together and get the vampire to drink a majority of the cup. Coco seems extremely pleased as she dabs a towel at her father figure’s face to clean any dripped blood, then leaves to clean the dish. Even just that little bit of blood seemed to remove some of the tension in the vampire’s expression.

It’s late as Olruggio sits by the bedside. He sent Coco off to bed, though he’s not quite sure why doing so brings a fuzzy feeling to his chest. Movement in his peripheral vision has him looking up from the journal he had been writing in. The vampire’s eye squeezes tightly as his head lulls slowly, followed by a light groan. Soon that icy-blue eye opens just a sliver.

“Mmn–Coco?” he slurs.

His eye suddenly snaps open as he bolts upright with a sharp gasp, an action he regrets immediately; sharp pain radiates along his side and up his arm. His breath is momentarily taken by the shock of pain.

“Oi! What the hell do you think your doin’ ya stupid snow-for-brains leech!?” Olruggio’s rugged voice assaults his ears.

A hand comes across his front and he’s leaned against the pillows as he catches his breath. With his good arm, he grasps Olruggio’s arm desperately and it immediately tenses.

“W-Where is she…? Where is…Coco…” he manages.

“Take it easy! Coco’s fine, she’s gone to bed you bloody fool.”

The vampire relaxes heavily into the pillows, breathing heavily as waves of pain send tremors up his arm. When it finally becomes bearable, he cracks open his eye again. He recognizes his room: the windowless walls and bare surfaces. As he turns his head, his eye meets deep blue, so dark yet vibrant at the same time.

The vampire squints, “Y-You? What–”

Olruggio holds up a hand to stop him. “I’d rather you not ask…” he sighs, “I don’t even know myself ta be honest. That kid of yers is quite persuasive.”

There’s a light humor in the air at that remark between the two.

“Besides…I’ve got some questions.” Olruggio says more seriously.

There’s a quiet pause.

“Will any of my answers change the result of my demise?”

Olruggio huffs, offended, and almost pouts but controls himself. Instead, he crosses his arms.

“You really think I went through the trouble of savin’ your arse just ta kill ya?” he tutts.

There’s an airy chuckle from the bed, “No…I suppose not. Go on then, ask away.”

“First, yer name.” Olruggio says simply.

The vampire turns his head in shock, “I beg your pardon?”

Olruggio speaks more slowly, “Youuuur Naaaame.”

“I heard you the first time.” the vampire says with an insulted tone, “Why would you want to know that?”

“‘Cause despite bein’ ‘ere lookin’ after your arse, I still don’t know it. Coco calls you ‘Papa’ so–…well, I didn’t want to ask ‘er.” Olruggio shifts awkwardly.

There’s a heavy pause and then another chuckle from the vampire, though it’s cut short by a wince.

“Well, if I give it to you, it’s only fair that you give me yours.” he negotiates.

“Fine, fine, yeah I’ll do it.” Olruggio says all too quickly.

Another awkward silence stretches between them.

“It’s Qifrey. My name is Qifrey.” the vampire finally says.

For some reason, hearing the name sends a tingling sensation through Olruggio’s body. It rolls off his tongue absentmindedly, “Qifrey.”

Qifrey blushes and turns away at the way the man says his name.

“R-Right well…I provided mine. Now it’s time for yours, sir hunter.” he stammers.

Olruggio huffs at the formality of his title, “Olruggio.” he answers.

Qifrey’s eye meets his deep blue before closing with a small smile. “Hmm..yes. I quite like that, Olly.”

Now it’s Olruggio’s turn to blush, “O-Oi! We only just formally met ‘nd you’re already throwin’ around nicknames??”

Qifrey’s smile widens with a mischievous mirth as he tilts his head. He soon leans back into the pillows with a tired sigh. The two chat casually for a while longer before it becomes obvious Qifrey’s exhausted. Olruggio lets him rest, a strange warmth budding in his chest at the unique but gratifying interaction.

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There’s a sharp hiss and wince as Olruggio tightens the bandages around Qifrey’s arm. 

“Sorry, how bad’s the pain?” Olruggio asks.

“Much more tolerable now that the bullets are no longer in there…” Qifrey states, cradling his injured arm to his chest.

“Sorry about that…though, how was I to know a vampire could ever be so…normal?” he apologizes awkwardly.

“Yes, well I never would have believed a hunter could be so kind and gentle.” Qifrey quips back.

“Touche.” Olruggio’s eyes stare at the freshly wrapped arm, “ How’s it feelin’? In terms of mobility I mean. ‘T’s been a few days since you’ve started…drinkin’ blood again.”

Qifrey shakes his head and tries to flex his hand. It does very little but lightly curl at the fingers and tremble with effort.

“I’m afraid I can hardly move it at all…”

Olruggio rubs the back of his neck in guilt, “They went fairly deep…as far as wounds go, I’m not surprised by this. However, I’ve never happened upon a vampire that couldn’t heal…The bullets are lethal, aye, but I would ‘ave expected some kind of improvement after all these days.”

Olruggio and Qifrey’s eyes meet, though one is more analytical while the other is avoidance.

“Tell me Qifrey, just what kinda vampire are you?”

“I can’t say…” he says quietly.

“What, because I’m a hunter? Y’know I’m gettin real tire–”

“It’s not because of that!” Qifrey interjects, “It’s because I truly don’t know…I have no memory of my creation.”

Olruggio goes silent in shock.

“It is as you say. I should know these things, but…I do not. I do not know my maker nor what came before I was this…thing.” his voice bleeds disgust with that last word.

Qifrey places his good hand over the left half of his face, “I awoke with no memory…my eye had been stolen from me, and I cannot fathom why. For lifetimes, I have searched for an answer but come up with nothing.” His fingers tighten into his hair.

“Why was I turned into this monster?” he mutters pitifully.

Olruggio remains silent, but his eyes speak of the sympathy he’s come to possess for a man he has now begun to understand far more clearly. Coco had revealed to him Qifrey’s feelings about himself, but seeing it first hand tugs at his heart. This wasn’t some wild beast like all the others; this was a tormented man who wants answers for what was done to him. A man who suffers every day to find them while raising a child he was given. Olruggio didn’t know how to comfort him. No amount of gestures could undo a curse that damned one's soul.

The thought of Coco spurns Olruggio to ask, “So Coco…”

Qifrey sighs, grateful at the subject change, “Is not my real daughter, as I’m sure you’ve discovered.”

“Right–But doesn’t ‘er blood…y’know…affect ya?” He asks awkwardly.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I feared for her life ever since she was a babe. I still do, of course. Perhaps it is because I’ve grown to care so deeply for her that I simply cannot fathom turning on her. She is, by all accounts, my little girl in all but blood.” Qifrey smiles lovingly as he thinks of his bright young girl.

Olruggio smirks. “Aye, she certainly is your kid.”

Both men chuckle as they continue their chatter.

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Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Olruggio stayed in the cottage to the point he had become an irreplaceable part of it. He wrote excuses to The Order that allowed him to stay away. His heart had grown soft and latched onto the humble life this pair of unlikely people lived.

Unfortunately, Qifrey’s recovery did not resolve like he had hoped. The damage caused by the holy bullets never fully healed. No amount of blood brought his strength back and he refused to drink human blood. The vampire remains weak in his right arm and has flares of pain in the other areas at times. Olruggio tried to argue that was his reason for staying for so long, that he owed it to the small family to set things right.

No one called him out on it, they simply accepted his company. Olruggio would stay. He would stay for Qifrey. He wanted to help the man unveil his lost past. He would stay for Coco. They needed the protection, not only from other vampires, now that Qifrey can’t fight like he once could, but also from The Order. If they were to discover a vampire as strange as Qifrey and Coco with her special blood, the two would never know peace again.

The ravenette would be damned if he became responsible for this tiny family being torn apart.

In his heart, he stayed for himself.

‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙